1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of distributed hardware systems. More particularly, this invention relates to self-monitoring distributed hardware systems.
2. Background
Coupling together multiple processing systems such that the systems are able to work together has become common practice. Multiple processing systems coupled together are often referred to as distributed computer or hardware systems. One example of distributed computer systems is multiple client/server computer systems coupled together in a local area network (LAN).
One problem encountered with distributed computer systems is that of system errors. Typically, the greater the number of computer systems coupled together, the greater the probability of an error occurring. Furthermore, given that the computer systems are coupled together, an error at one computer system may adversely affect one or more of the other computer systems. Thus, it would be beneficial to have high reliability, fault tolerant distributed computer systems which can automatically detect and recover from errors.
Additionally, in distributed computer systems it is often beneficial to know that each of the multiple computer systems is functioning properly. Otherwise, certain peripherals or features which are provided by one or more of the multiple computer systems may not be available.
Therefore, a need exists for self-monitoring distributed hardware systems.